POLL: Preparing when you know your enemy

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If I was playing through a dungeon, killing orcs and whatnot, and then I come across this BIG cavern, with treasure and bones lying around, I OBVIOUSLY start casting Protection from Fire, Stoneskin, Improved Haste and Draw Upon Holy Might, because I'm going to be fighting a Dragon.

When crossing a bridge in the Underdark, I am going to buff because I know that its the Underdark and only constant vigilance gets you through the day in one piece.

On the other hand, I would NOT buff with stuff like Stoneskin etc before going to rest...unless it was in the Underdark or a really nasty dungeon like Watcher's Keep.

Hence, it depends on the situation.

Generally, I tend to cast the long lasting spells like Chaotic Commands, Stone Skin, Death Ward, Remove Fear etc everytime after resting, as these tend to last all the while till I rest next, or till the next big fight.

 

IIRC, also, lower resistance doesn't work on resistances caused by items

 

@Argohir
it works but you can re-equip to negate it, iirc.
i always thought i was a strict role player but now reading the posts, i noticed that i don't remove my armor before i rest, well there is always someone stricter around. anyway... if you are an adventurer and you dont buff in a dungeon, then you are the one who is not role-playing imho.
@Chevalier Mal Fet
killing a balor with a chromatic orb! good things never happen to me. i beat the game for 8-9 times never killeda significant foe with it

 

chromatic orb:greater malison x ?? + dooms

@Silverstar
Sunray works on demilich.

 

HEY, you know, I heard that chromatic orb is BUGGY and bypasses magic resistance! If it's true, then it is not a that big miracle one killed a Balor with it. I have killed LOTS of enemies with it, including a demonic thing in Planar Prison(really cool area), so it is a GOOD spell, somewhat overpowered (for a 1st level spell) but still decent.

Uh sunray should kill a lich then, but they have a save vs spell 1!!! Only 1! So if they save, do they take 1000+ damage and die, or rather affected by the spell normally? (3d6 damage plus blindness, IIRC) Plus liches do cast so many protective spells (especially in Tactics mode which I am having FUN) does sunray affect them? I even heard it BYPASSES magic resistance, (like ch.orb) now is this spell bugged or just GREAT? (well at least against undead)

IIRC, Bodhi in tactics mode is COMPLETELY immune to sunray or turn undead or any other anti-undead ability, and she ROCKS, nasty, cuning, versatile, frightening, powerful, hard and most notably FUN!

Does Greeater Malison STACK with multiple casting? I don't know it does and there is NO sure way to know if it does or not. However. if it does, it will be some good masacree with some spells. (you know I always wanted to use that 'spiffy' Wail of the Banshee.) (somewhat evil grin )

[ April 27, 2005, 18:43: Message edited by: Silverstar ]

 

Chromatic Orb damage doesn't bypass MR, but its effects are indiscriminate. (flesh to stone, stun, death...)

Bards would probably know what would be in that particular room. Lore isn't limited to identifying items on sight.
The Bard's quest in life is to get as much lore as he can for his songs and tales, so he'll be going around exploring every nook and cranny and obtaining every scrap of information he can if the situation allows it. A rumor, a gossip, a tale or two from fellow Bards, some knowledge gleaned from investigation and research, and some story from his vast repertoire and the Bard could know enough to possibly doom Kangaax.

It wouldn't be a surprise if an adventuring character wanders into the Temple district and finds himself in the Slaver Compound, or if he finds the Elven Court Bow after thoroughly exploring De Arnise Keep after killing Torgal. It works if you're Chaotic Neutral.

BTW, I think there's no harm in prebuffing. Being a son of Bhaal you'll never know what you'll find in the next corner you turn into and it's better to be safe than sorry. Besides, after solving a few quests (Bridge District Murders, the Slaver Compound) and after a vampire encounter or two, any sane spellcasting character would probably resort to prebuffing himself and storing contingencies.
You'll never know if the vampires decide to turn against you, or when the Slavers/Twisted Rune should decide to exact revenge.

[ April 28, 2005, 01:05: Message edited by: Scythesong Immortal ]

 

Most Liches you don't need to buff for. I have standing orders (otherwise known as press pause on sight and create an attack) for Minsc to throw Azuredge at any undead that appears (Even if Blue). Being as they always insist on talking first he can get an attack in before they get their protections up.

 

I'm kind of in the middle. I do not pre-buff in the traditional sense. However, since I know that I am going to need certain types of spells for certain battles, I will rest to re-memorize spells and heal characters, if needed prior to the fight. To me, if all of my characters are badly injured, and my mage has two spells left in his spell book, then it makes absolutely no sense to walk in, get creamed, and then reload the game and rest before re-attempting the battle.

 

as far as i know they stack, and i usually attack dragons with multiple greater malisons

 

I must try and see if it stacks or not, but it will be hard to understand, I can cast Greater Malison 10 times with triggers and contingencies, (-40 TO ALL SAVES! G-R-O-S-S-!)AND the target may fail its saving throw, but I can't know if its because greater malison, or the victim just failed himself.
Somebody please try and confirm this! If this is true, Greater Malison is a most PERFECT spell!

 

@Silverstar
That's silly, because even lowest save is 20. and what's the point of having -40?

 

Just pretent that your mage character is a highly skilled in divination, so therefore s/he knows where their enemy is!

 

I KNOW it is rather silly to cast it 10 times to give -40 penalty to all saves. I only wanted to show the true power and awesomeness of this spell if it is CUMULATIVE (which I am not sure YET)
So don't mock me OK?

 

Greater Malison doesn't stack with itself - that would be ultra-cheese. However, it does stack with other saving throw reducing spells, such as doom.

 

Ha,Ha,Ha.... everyone gets mocked at least once in this Forum(except for Moderaters, whom will ban everybody mocking them)

 

No problem!

OUCH it hurts to know that Greater Malison can not stack. Oh well...

I hearthly agree that it will be OVER CHEESE otherwise.

 

Leaving the GM + Doom question aside for now, I'll answer the first one: prebuff or not?

My favorite tactic with my thief PCs is to Hide in Shadows just before entering a room. Sure you leave the shadows as you walk through a door, but the lingering effect keeps you invisible for another few seconds after you show up in the next area. That's enough time to see what's there, wet yourself, and walk back through the door to buff before entering again. So... prebuff, baby! If that's how I enter every area I've never been into, then of course I can prebuff, since I know what I'm getting into, right?

Incidentally, once the HiS ability is high enough, you can walk across a room and backstab an enemy to death before your stealth mode really wears off. Makes some close-quarters battles ridiculously simple!

[ May 13, 2005, 14:41: Message edited by: Derkoth the Disgruntled ]